


(Midlife) Crisis + (Lifelong) Choices

by violetvaria



Series: Jack and Mac Dialogues [4]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Bromance, Daltonisms, Dialogue-Only, Fluff, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 09:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22400272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetvaria/pseuds/violetvaria
Summary: “Jack, was I your midlife crisis?”“What?”~~~After a discussion with Riley, Mac has some questions about why Jack chose to stay with him all those years ago.
Relationships: Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: Jack and Mac Dialogues [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1345516
Comments: 16
Kudos: 45





	(Midlife) Crisis + (Lifelong) Choices

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm going to go ahead and apologize now. I'm not even sure what this is. The first line popped into my head, and suddenly here we are. The voices are off, and I'm not entirely certain this makes any sense. If you manage to enjoy anyway, bless you.
> 
> WARNINGS: very mild language, the possibility of some sort of physical altercation (but it is nearly impossible to know exactly what happened), fleeting mentions of the dangers of the work they do, vague allusions to a troubled past relationship (Jack and Riley), almost unnoticeable reference to threesomes

“Jack, was I your midlife crisis?”

“_What_?”

“Your midlife crisis. You know, when people realize their lives are about half over, on average, and—”

“Man, what makes you think I’m old enough for a midlife crisis?”

“Um, because I know your date of birth?”

“Watch it, little boy. You are walkin’ in somewhere you ain’t nowhere near prepared for.”

“Okay, settle down, old man. I was just asking.”

“First of all, our line of work, averages don’t really factor in, you know what I’m sayin’?”

“Do _you_ know what you’re saying?”

“Dude, we could all be blown to hell and back any day. Ain’t none of us plannin’ that white-picture-fence retirement.”

“Picket fence.”

“So really, even a wet-behind-the-ears pup like you could be ‘midlife,’ okay?”

“It doesn’t really work that way psychologically, Jack.”

“Second of all, if I _were_ gonna have a midlife crisis, you know, way off in the future, it’d be something cool. Get a boat, maybe. Have a few more threesomes.”

“Ew.”

“It wouldn’t be pickin’ up some stray scrawny bomb nerd.”

“You’re saying a boat is cooler than me?”

“You are many things, brother, but _cool_ you ain’t.”

“Says the man who quotes _Star Wars_ at every opportunity.”

“That’s just bein’ culturally relative, dude.”

“You mean _relevant_?”

“Glad we agree. And second of all—”

“You already had a second.”

“Fine. Second of all part B, why would you think you’re a crisis?”

“Oh. Um—”

“Nope. None of that. Look at me.”

“Jack, it’s nothing.”

“Oh ho! Now we’re onto somethin’.”

“What?”

“When you say it’s nothin’, it’s definitely not nothin’.”

“Which doesn’t make sense if it really is nothing.”

“Keep talkin’, bro. Get it out.”

“Never mind. It’s dumb.”

“Great. We moved up from _nothin’_ to _dumb_. Makin’ progress there, kid.”

“Can we just drop it now?”

“You were the one who brought this up, man.”

“Which I now regret.”

“Keep talkin’.”

“Geez, stop giving me that look, all right? It was—it was just something Riley and I were talking about. It’s no big deal.”

“Riley thinks I’m havin’ a midlife crisis? Man, the sass on you whippersnappers!”

“She was just—you know what? It’s not really my place to repeat what she said. Guess we’ll just drop it.”

“Yeah, nice try there, genius.”

“Jack, let go.”

“I’ll let you go when I hear what’s rattlin’ around in that big ol’ brain of yours.”

“Jack, this is a new shirt!”

“Yeah? Coulda fooled me. Man, we gotta get you some better fashion sense.”

“Are you still complaining about that?”

“I’ll take you shoppin’, how ‘bout that? Help you pick out somethin’ cool.”

“Jack, I’m not getting a matching jacket to _foster greater family unity_ or whatever it is.”

“Maybe you and Ri could get somethin’ the same the next time you’re havin’ a little gab-fest.”

“_Gab-fest_?”

“Speaking of, what were y’all talkin’ about?”

“Jack!”

“Hey, don’t you groan at me, mister. You’re the one who thinks he’s not even worth as much as a boat.”

“You said I wasn’t as cool as—”

“Yeah, yeah, doesn’t mean you’re less _valuable_.”

“Uh—that’s actually kind of sweet, I guess.”

“Uh-huh. Now cough it up, brother, or next time you’re outta my sight won’t be ‘til _your_ midlife crisis.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have a midlife crisis.”

“Mac!”

“Ow! Did—did you just—”

“Start talkin’ ‘fore I do it again.”

“That isn’t fair, Jack.”

“What isn’t fair is my partner thinkin’ I just go around having existence crisises—”

“_Existential crises._”

“—and that the only reason I partnered up with him is ‘cause of that. That about where your dumb genius brain is?”

“…No.”

“No? Then you tell me how it is, Mac.”

“Jack—”

“I’m waitin’.”

“It’s just…it’s nothing. Riley just said how she used to be mad at you for leaving, and how she—how she—”

“Don’t stop on my account, hoss. Riles’s said the same to me, and I don’t blame her.”

“Yeah, well, she doesn’t blame you either. Not anymore. She said—she said it just wasn’t the right time in your life.”

“Yeah? That’s…that’s real nice of her.”

“Need a tissue, big guy?”

“Hey, she’s a good kid, all right? Don’t push it.”

“All right. Come on, I’ll buy you a beer.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that later, but don’t even think you’re weaselin’ outta this.”

“Jack, are you still—”

“Riley bein’ mad or not don’t have nothin’ to do with you and me. So spill it. What else she say?”

“Nothing. That was—Jack!”

“Hurry it up and talk ‘fore your nice _new_ shirt accidentally gets ripped.”

“Jack…just let it go, okay?”

“Tell you what. You turn into a little ice princess, and I’ll think about it. Count of three. Three—”

“She said she used to resent me, all right? You happy now?”

“Riley? Riley used to resent _you_? Why—”

“Because of _you_! Because you left her, but you stayed for me!”

“Mac…”

“And—she just said she realized when she met you, it wasn’t the right time in your life. But when you met me…”

“She thinks I decided to forget Texas and risk my life for the slowest EOD tech on the planet because I was havin’ a midlife crisis?”

“It sounds bad when you put it like that.”

“Hell, yeah, it sounds bad!”

“Anyway, she never said that. Okay?”

“Ohhh.”

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

“If she didn’t come up with it—I got it, brother. This is all you.”

“What are you talking about, Jack?”

“You think my ancient de-creeped brain got all addled and decided to partner up with you ‘cause it couldn’t think straight, huh?”

“I don’t think your brain is _decrepit_.”

“But you do think I wasn’t in my right mind when I made that choice. Don’t you.”

“I could argue that you’re _never_ in your right—”

“Uh-uh. Don’t do that, man. Tell it to me straight. You think I made a mistake choosing to stay with you?”

“You have to admit, Jack, if it had been a few years earlier, you wouldn’t have—”

“Dude, how are you so smart and still so _dumb_?”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t know you as a baby, but I figure even you did normal baby stuff. You know, stuck your fingers in your mouth and pooped in your drawers and picked up nasty crap off the ground.”

“Uh—”

“Do you still do that, kid? Well, the last one, maybe, but otherwise—”

“Jack, do you have a point?”

“Keep up here, man! You got older and you got _smarter_, right? You knew more stuff?”

“Well—”

“So, yeah, maybe a few years earlier, I wouldn’ta stayed with you. Which shows I _got smarter_.”

“I—I don’t know what to say.”

“How about: ‘Jack, I’m sorry I thought your brain fizzled out on you, and I promise never to question your wisdom again.’ That sounds about right.”

“I’m not saying that.”

“’S fine. You don’t have to.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. As long as you believe I knew what I was doin’ when I picked you.”

“Jack—”

“Every time, partner. It’s always gonna be you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Reference to [**Let It Go**](https://youtu.be/moSFlvxnbgk) from _Frozen_. Sorry for the earworm.


End file.
